What got you interested in Train?

The Christmas in the early 50's that Santa Claus (my father) got me Lionel's Santa Fe Warbonnet F3's ABA with various freight that included the automatic coal unloader and the refer milk can unloader all powered by a ZW. Best Christmas ever.

Dad!

My dad worked for the PRR, prior to WWII.

For me, it was seeing an operating steam engine for the first time back in 1976 when the American Freedom Train came through my home town during its travels celebrating America's Bicentennial.

 

I was only 8 years old, and it impressed me a lot!  I was used to seeing diesels all day long, but there is just something magical about steam.

 

After that, my toy trains became even more fun.   I had owned a set for about a year and a half, but after seeing a real steamer running on the mainline, it became my favorite seasonal toy.  And my father encouraged the interest by buying more train sets for us to run at Christmas time.  Once I had my own job, and I got my own house, I decided to do away with the seasonal aspect.

 

Andy

I think it was around 1999 in a hobby store in Cranberry, PA.

 

I picked up a MTH book (had no ideas who they were) and on the cover was the "Jersey Blue Comet".  That got me started.  My first purchase was a MTH Railking Milwaukee Road Hiawatha from Jim Sutter in Homer City, PA.  Think Jim charged me full list, $420.00.  On of the PGH Area High Railers  (wrong name) who was sitting next to Jim chimed in; he probably charged you more.

 

Last year at Patrick H's open house he denied charging full list; lol.

 

My Dad thought I might like a train when I was seven...

He was right

 

I still have my first train...

Can't recall exact age, early 60's. Woke up one Christmas morning to a loop of track and a train under the tree. Old Lionel Scout set from vague memories. Added to year to year by "Santa" Ended up with a Santa Fe warbonnet, some freight cars, lots of Super O track, and the Big black transformer with the orange handle on top.

Funny part, the trains never ran when we woke up, Santa wasn't to good with electricity.

My brother and I always had it running in a couple minutes.

 

Good Times...

Family influence.  My Grandfather on my father's side of the family was a steam locomotive engineer for the Baltimore & Ohio while I had an uncle who was a conductor on the B&O.  My Grandfather on my mother's side loved trains so much that as a young adolescent in the early 1900s he hopped freight trains on the old Shenandoah Valley branch line of the Norfolk and Western Railway as they ran through the little country hamlet of Rileyville, Virginia which is where he grew up.  He became such a fixture on those freights that eventually he was often times invited to ride in the cab of the Steam Locos which hauled those freights.  Later of course both my Dad and my Grandfather on my Mom's side ran toy trains when I was a little boy.  The hook was firmly planted.

Santa brought me my first Lionel train, a 2037 steam locomotive set when I was seven and the next Christmas found a 2245 Texas Special passenger set running under the tree.  Dad would bring home a new Lionel catalog every year and when the family went Christmas shopping Dad took me to all the department stores which had large Lionel displays.  I've been hooked ever since.

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

My earliest recollection is when I was about 2 years old waking on Christmas morning to see the tree on the platform with the trains around it, and the presents on the floor. In the summer of my third year, I was shipped off to Long Island for a few weeks when my third sibling was born. I somehow ended up at my aunt's neighbor's house putting track together on the floor and playing with the trains. Trains were always a part of Christmas in our house, and many of our relatives' and friends' houses. When my brother and I were older, we began building a 4'X8' HO layout in the basement to bring upstairs for Christmas. A friend a few doors up the street had a nice basement, and we would also do a layout there. It seemed like everyone had trains in those days, late 50's into the 60's.

I was one who never lost interest, just got away for a while during my time in the military. Once I got married and we bought a house, the trains became an annual Christmas event to this day.

Don 

For me it was hollywood back then you could see movies from the 1930 and 40s.I loved seeing the big steam locomotive pass real closse to the camera.Yep on the local tv stations played these all the time.And the fact that 1 could hear seaboard coast line whistle.I went to a school that real closse to the tracks.Hear a train whistle I could turn and watch it go by.

My Grandpa had a postwar Lionel layout is his basement...built in 1956.

 

I was captivated by it when I was an infant (so I am told). He always took time to show me wiring, scenery, etc.

 

It just kept growing from there.

My Dad got me my first train in 1960. I played with it until it stopped running in 1968. When Dad died in 2006, something clicked in my brain. Back to trains with the goal of an example of each class of N&W steamer. Not quite there, yet...

 

Gilly

My Grandpa, he used to set up Lionels when I was visiting.

 

Bought me my first set for Christmas also.  Still have it.

Watching SP trains at Heights Blvd in Houston and SP along US90 Columbus to Flatonia TX.

Christmas 1955, my father purchased an O Gauge Lionel train set for me. He also purchased a pair of O Gauge manual switches and straight track. Track and switches were assembled on a 4ft by 8ft by 1/2in. sheet of plywood, track mounted face of plywood painted green with white road, layout setup in small spare bedroom. In 1963, I started high school and needed this bedroom as a study room, the trainboard was taken apart, track,switches,locomotive an cars stored until 1992 when wife suggested that I should build a layout. My father passed away in the Summer of 1973.

I was watching Thomas since before I could talk (my first word was "Toby"). Because of this, my grandpa took me to a train show when I was about three years old. Before we left, my dad told me not to let him buy me anything. So we went, and he got me a raffle ticket on those Lionel Thomas G gauge sets. Then, we walked into a shop and grandpa started talking to someone while I was staring at a train on a box. He asked me "Do you want that?"  Well, how could I say no? That Lionel set was the start of the hobby, and every year afterwords, I got a new train set/item (including his Lionel stuff)

My parents told me a story of how I would (age 1) line up my toys and objects, and I would call it "my train".  I can remember them taking me to a variety store (age 2) to buy a Lionel set.  I can remember laying in the floor and watching the locomotive come straight at my face before it reached the curve.

I was born with it.

My Dad, who got me addicted when I was about four.

Me and my Dad's Marx train in 1953: 

 

That train now . . . 

March 1963 I was still in the womb Not bring born till August of the same year

My Grandfather and my father got me my first Lionel Train set,  It has been told that whenever either of them Blew the whistle on the Steam engine that I would kick the Bejesus out of mom.  At one point Grandma had to stop the two because I was kicking so much that it was hurting mom. 

 

So you can figure that I have been into Trains from the time of six months before I was actually born.

In December 1965 my older, who just turned six the month before, received an HO train set with a Mikado steam locomotive for Channukah.  He liked the trains, but eventually out grew them.  I had just turned three, but I was the one who fell in love with them.

My parents are still waiting for me to out grow them.

 

Stuart

 

Seeing a New York Central freight booming through Ann Arbor when I was about eight years old, and then going to Canada and seeing Wabash F units, Canadian National FPA-4's and a retired CN steamer sitting in a park in Windsor.

 

Jeff C

Having been born in Brooklyn, NY in 1942 - trains, real and toy were everywhere!

My dad was a fireman on Southern Rwy. Mikados and Consolidations during WWII.  He

was on track to become an engineer when that was interrupted, but he was something

of an artist, so the first train I remember seeing was his drawing of his loco on my

childhood blackboard.  My grandfather had built cabooses for the L&N, and after I drooled all over my cousin's prewar latch coupler Lionel set I was allowed to run, he went in with my mother to give me an immediate postwar #25000 Marx set. 

All my mother's family worked on the railroad, the M.&St.L at that time.  I saw my first steam engine while walking to the neighborhood grocery store with my mom.  Dad wasn't into trains, but he tolerated it.

 

Art

Genetic defect. I saw and rode a lot of trains in the 50's and 60's.

MOM; around 1956. My layout. April 1959.

DAD in '57

My grandfather (my mother's dad), the older gentleman with the cane, before his stroke in 1955, would carry me on his shoulder to see the #6 EL train at the Middletown Rd station.

 

 

 

In addition, my dad's family home was about 150 feet from the New Haven 4 track main line. Watched trains there my entire early life and my love of the New Haven was kindled.

 

Peter

I think I was born (Nov 1963) liking trains. I had trains on my walls and bed spread and lots of toy trains. drew pictures of trains.

Didn't get my first electric one until I was about 12 though.

I was born that way.  But to make doubly sure my grandfather got and fixed up an old Marx train set and I got it for Christmas when I was 4 or 5.  I still have it and run it every once in a while.  Well, the locomotive anyways.  The plastic cars I got with it are all mostly broken so I bought some tin one off of eBay to run with it.

Absolutely no idea! I grew up in the space age -- jets and rockets -- and even though born in 1958 never even saw a Lionel train as a kid. Somehow got the HO bug about 20 years ago but it never took. Even made a second attempt. All that changed 3 years ago when I told my wife I wanted a Polar Express set for Christmas.

When I was 5 years old I got a Marx Santa Fe A-A set with 7 freight cars and a small oval of track for Christmas.  Ever since then I have always associated Santa Clause and Santa Fe.  

 

Somehow they MUST be related.

 

 

 

 

I never get tired of reading Posts from Forum members on how

they became interested in Trains.  For me it was about 1952 when

I was five years old.  This is my first memory of my Uncle Walter

taking me to the Branch Avenue Bridge in Providence, Rhode Island.

 

At the time this was also a huge freight yard, with at least two main

lines running North & South from Boston.  We would watch from the

safety of the sidewalk on the side of the bridge and get Steam &

Diesel Engines traveling the North East Corridor at the time.  For 

the next four years my Uncle and me would on weekends take in

the heavy traffic within the freight yard, and fast freights and

passenger trains passing by.

 

In the fall of 1956 my Uncle passed away.  I would after that

go to the Branch Avenue Bridge and enjoy the trains.  To this day I

have him to thank for my love of trains, when I run my three

rail trains I can not help but think he is with me.  Good memories.

 

Many thanks,

 

Billy C